As July 4th approached, I, like many other photographers, prepared to shoot plenty of firework shows. I decided to go attend Livermore's show at Las Positas College this year.
When I arrived, I was found all the local parking lots blocked off and this threw off my plans a bit because I had originally wanted to shoot near them. I decided to keep searching for a piece to park and came up on Collier Canyon Road. Many people were also parked here and preparing to watch the show from their cars.
There was a nearby hill and I decided to climb up to the top so I could get an unobstructed view of the show. I was around half a mile away from Las Positas and now all I had to do was wait.
Find out what's happening in Pleasantonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
I had arrived to my location at around 8:20 and was expecting the show to start at 9:30. I had a little over an hour to wait until I could begin shooting. I observed my surroundings and decided to go look into a vineyard nearby. Some people had decided to climb up the hill with me and I could hear their excitement when they discovered the great view they had.
Down below, I could see a group of people playing some catch with a baseball as they waited for the show to begin. In the houses nearby, I heard a small party going on in someone's backyard and the explosion of an occasional firework here and there.
Find out what's happening in Pleasantonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
It quickly turned dark and the moon began to emerge. It came out from behind one of the buildings at Las Positas and had a sort of orange-ish street light kind of color from it. It also seemed much larger than normal. In the distance, I could hear firework shows beginning other places though I couldn't see where they were coming from.
I noticed that Las Positas began spraying their football field (where they were going to shoot the fireworks) with sprinklers. I assume it's to prevent any fire from sparks given off by the fireworks. In the houses near me, residents began to fire off fireworks and lit up part of the hill side with flashes of green, blue and red. By now, it was around 9:15 and I was starting to get really cold. Even with a jacket on, my hands soon became a little numb.
The show started around 9:35. As the hill side became lit up in vibrant colors, I began shooting the fireworks. My numb hands did hamper me a bit because it made it hard to hold the camera steady on the tripod. As a result, some of my shots are a bit wobbly, but I still produced some good shots.
When the show ended, I quickly rushed down the hill in hopes of getting out before traffic started. Despite my efforts, I became bogged down in traffic and it took around 40 minutes for me to get out of the area. It was worth it though because I was able to get some nice photos.
If you're interested in seeing more of my work, please check out my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BenjaminDunnPhotography
